Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Fairy Thimbles bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Fairy thimbles, Fairies' thimbles, Spiral bellflower (Campanula cochleariifolia).

More about fairy thimbles

About Fairy Thimbles

Campanula cochleariifolia · also called Fairy thimbles, Fairies' thimbles · flowering

Campanula cochleariifolia is a low-growing, rhizomatous alpine perennial from the mountain ranges of Europe, where it spreads through crevices and scree by slender underground runners. It produces a carpet of rounded, bright-green leaves topped with nodding, thimble-sized, pale-blue or white bells from midsummer into autumn. It is one of the most easily grown alpine bellflowers and tolerates light foot traffic between paving stones, but it will not tolerate waterlogged soil in winter. Campanula species are considered non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Slugs and snails: The main pest concern; they shred the soft foliage and flowers overnight — use grit mulch around plants or iron phosphate pellets.

The reasons fairy thimbles isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming fairy thimbles traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding fairy thimbles a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get fairy thimbles to flower

Maximise sun. Give fairy thimbles the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for fairy thimbles and get the feeding right with the fairy thimbles fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Fairy Thimbles flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full fairy thimbles care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Fairy Thimbles blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my fairy thimbles flower?

Fairy Thimbles blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make fairy thimbles bloom?

Give fairy thimbles the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does fairy thimbles normally bloom?